NOTD's tag archives

Just before I left for New York, I was so worried about Chanel's new releases. Would I have time to swatch them while I was there? Probably not, and the distribution is so limited!
Thankfully I was able to call on the brilliant guest swatching of Estelle and Soaper1 — and as usual, they make everything look too good.
I was expecting to be most interested in Khaki Vert and Khaki Rose... but now that I've seen all three on Soaper1's nails, Khaki Brun is actually my favorite (though Khaki Ver...

Oh, Illamasqua. I still pine for you, waiting for the day when you are in stores across America. When you are, the first item I will purchase will almost certainly be nail polish... then onto the blush — but I digress. The amazing and tireless Soaper1 sent over these gorgeous swatches of Illamasqua's Elope, and my longing was rekindled. Her swatches and review:
Illamasqua is a British brand founded in 2008. Their aesthetic combines several influences, including the 1920s club scene, makeup for ...

Last week I speculated that I could make a fantastic new nail polish by painting OPI's Glitzerland and Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous one on top of the other — a reprise, if you will, of my greatest combination to date: Sally Hansen Iced Metal over OPI Classic.
The results weren't exactly what I expected.
Both polishes are too opaque to let the bottom color really show through; whichever one you paint on top dominates the manicure.
They also have different finishes. Glitzerland is a fine...

Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous (of OPI's fall Swiss collection) is even more awesome than I originally recognized. In one coat, it glitters like a New Year's Eve dress. In two coats, the silver darkens to more of a gunmetal metallic with silver microglitter. The effect is thrilling, and I think the color will look great on a wide range of skintones. And I love polishes that glitter but feel smooth.
Pinky, are you thinking what I'm thinking? That one coat of Lucerne-tainly + one coat of Glitzer...

Soaper1 emailed me to say she'd bought China Glaze's Classic Camel, from their fall Vintage Vixen collection. I believe her exact words were "I love it!" Â (She's more fashionable than I am.)
Now, I have been seduced by subtle microglitter in the past, but I confess, Classic Camel is just not my color. I do think it would make a fantastic base for some very cool konading. Perhaps we'll see some in the future? Meanwhile, here's Soaper1's swatch of the polish itself:

Check out my very first Avon polish! I was inspired by Soaper1's swatch of Mambo Melon (which is one of their Speed Dry+ formula), and decided I needed Tweed.
Tweed is in Avon's Nailwear Pro formula. The brush is flattened-round (it's nice), and the formula is very slow to dry. You have to be really careful not to whack your nails on anything while they're wet, because the slightest touch will leave a mark.
Anyway, the extra care is worth it, because the resulting manicure is exceptionally...

Have you ever heard of a new product, but didn't quite know all what the buzz was about? And then maybe you saw a swatch picture that instantly got your attention? That's me and Studio M's Slamming Red. I knew that the nail aficionados were talking about it, I knew that it was only for sale in a store I don't have access to... And now Soaper1's got me thinking about it. Here's her review and swatch:
Studio M Slamming Red is a gorgous red that is chock-full of holographic glitter.Â This pictur...

This year, nail polish lovers were treated to the release of two major "flakie" polishes: Sally Hansen's Hidden Treasure and Nubar's 2010.
"Flakies" are polishes with large, irregularly shaped glitter, like bits of foil. (Also see: MAC Superglass)
It's not easy to find a good flakie. I have one from NYX, but it's almost impossible to get the glitter out of the bottle and onto your nail in any kind of satisfying density. Nfu-Oh has a reputation for amazing flakies, but the brand is not easy...

Soaper1 is gorgeously swatching her way through China Glaze's fall collection, Vintage Vixen (click here for the sneak peek of the collection, and here are her other swatches so far:Â Emerald Fitzgerald, Ingrid, and Midnight Mission).
She wants you to know that this represents her quickie, "just swatches" paint job (as opposed to her normal, careful manicure) — as if you can even tell.

I had a nail setback. I majorly broke one nail, and then I hated having just one short one, so I clipped them all. And as soon as I'd done that, I regretted it, because I really like them better with a bit of length.
Anyway, what's making me feel better about the whole situation is Zoya Edtya. It's blackened forest green with tiny gold sparkles, and it's so dazzling in sunlight that it almost makes it hazardous to drive a car. A lady stopped me in the grocery store to ask what I was wearing.
...

Soaper1 can read my mind. It's a scary, but wonderful thing. The day I posted Butter London's fall sneak peek, she emailed me to say she'd bought All Hail McQueen. (Ulta carries Butter London now?!?)
Anyway, I'm totally thrilled to feature her review and swatch:
All Hail McQueen is actually my first Butter London polish. Until recently, the brand wasn't easily available to me, but Ulta just started carrying them, in store and online.
The polishes are $14 each and are big-3 free. Iâ€™d rea...

Another utterly droolworthy guest swatch from Soaper1: Midnight Mission, another of China Glaze's Vintage Vixen fall collection.
I know that Soaper1 has long pined for the impossible-to-find Essie Starry Starry Night, and I had hoped that Midnight Mission would be an acceptable substitute. I'm disappointed to see that the two shades really aren't similar at all, though I have to say Midnight Mission is staggeringly fabulous on her hands.

Oh Soaper1, Ingrid looks so good on you! I think I'm promoting Ingrid to my favorite shade from the Vintage Vixen collection. Soaper1's thoughts and swatches:
I'm seriously loving this collection. I purchased five of the twelve polishes and have used three. So far, they are all gorgeous, and have applied very nicely. I'm strongly tempted to purchase the rest of the collection. This is Ingrid, taupe with gold shimmer. As usual, I did three coats with one coat of Poshe. You could do two medium-th...

From the first promo pics, I was entranced by China Glaze's Vintage Vixen collection. Almost based on name alone, I fell in love with Emerald Fitzgerald (I keep saying it over and over to myself). Luckily for all of us, Soaper1 spotted the collection at her local Sally's — and she has swatches!
China Glaze's fall collection is called Vintage Vixen; it's a 1940s based collection featuring "multi-faceted jewel tones, rich reds, titillating taupes, and smoldering sands." China Glaze describes the ...

Soaper1 sent over these picture of Zoya Ivanka, and they made me want to put it on right now. Click here for arm swatches of Flash and Sparkle. Click here to see my inferior pics of Ivanka. Click here to see Soaper's luscious swatches of Charla.
Ivanka is part of Zoya's summer Sparkle Collection: six super glittery polishes. We're starting to see several companies offer this finish — such as OPI's Summer Flutter Collection. It's a glitter finish that leans metallic without being frosty. In a...